Prayer of Praise

Lord, our God, let us see your glory.
Help us to lift our eyes to you,
open our ears to hear your voice.
You gave your message to our forefathers throughout history;
you give us your Holy Spirit for the present.
And you have given us Jesus, your Son,
to lead us into eternity with you.
Lord, we see, we hear, we believe, and we come to worship.

Most mighty and exalted Lord,
we come today to praise and worship you.
We thank you for your glory,
for your power and your majesty
that transforms our lives into your likeness.
You shone like the noonday sun;
as you revealed your glory on the mountaintop,
Reveal yourself and shine on us today.
We worship you most beloved Son of God.
Amen.

Prayer of Confession  

Let us pray together:

Transforming God,
we come to the foot of your cross
and say sorry when we don’t listen.
We are sorry when we miss you in the midst of our lives,
when we fail to glimpse you,
even when you are shining so brightly before us.

We are sorry when we are afraid and don’t trust you,
when we fall asleep, absorbed in our own lives,
when we make our own conclusions and don’t involve you,
when we think we know best.
Help us to always seek refuge in you,
to be transformed by your brightness,
and draw closer to you.

 God of all mercy, give us grace today to make a fresh start

We know we have not loved you with our whole heart

Nor have we loved our neighbour as ourselves.

As we are forgiven

Teach us to forgive

And lead us forward in a new life

Where neither grudges nor resentment have a part

Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Declaration of forgiveness

If we confess our sins,

God is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins

And cleanse us from all unrighteousness

Hear then Christ’s word of grace to us

“Your sins are forgiven.”

Thanks be to God

Assurance

And knowing the assurance of forgiveness and God’s welcoming grace we also pray:

Awesome God,
we are your beloved and our home is in you.
We are forgiven and transformed into your likeness.
You make us whole.
Amen.

Prayer for Others:

 We pray for peace.
We lament violence around the world. 
We plead for the ceasing of violence and the establishment of peace.
We pray that you might give us a desire for peace and a willingness to work and hope and pray for peace each day. Amen

We also pray for the people of Turkey and Syria.

We pray to God with deep concern for Turkey and Syria
torn apart and devastated by the great earthquake
with such a large number of victims,

stunned by the enormity of the damage;
shocked by the extent of the ruins.

Lord, with tears and broken hearts we pray

for families who have lost loved ones.
Give strength and wisdom for search and rescue teams searching for victims amidst the rubble.
Give foresight to save those who are still under the ruins;

for medics, doctors and nurses, give the ability to care for those who are injured;

for volunteers who come from various places, give courage to help the victims together.

God, the source of strength,
give a ray of hope for Turkey and Syria
in the midst of a disaster that is being experienced.

God of Wisdom, give us unity to feel the suffering and sorrow
experienced by communities in Turkey and Syria.

Prayers of The People

Loving God, knowing your love for all of Humanity, especially your compassion for the needy, we come to you with our cares and our concerns.

We bring to you our prayers for the World around us and for people individually.

We pray for the Leaders of Nations, for those who wield the influence over others and make the decisions that affect so many people. 

May they heed your gentle call to bring about stability and prosperity to their Land.  May they not yield to the temptation to exercise power so as to accumulate wealth or to oppress.  May they seek to bring about peace between Nations and not make a grab for land and resources.

We pray for the poor and the homeless, for all who have been left behind and are forgotten, for the defeated and the broken hearted, for those who are sick in body, mind and spirit. 

Befriend, comfort and heal them.  Grant them the confidence to put their trust in your promises. 

Have mercy on those whose anger and resentment holds them back from fullness of life.  Help those who hurt but cannot forgive, those who hold onto a bitterness that is eating into their soul and darkens their existence. 

Show them the way to forgive and to forget.  Bring them a release from their burden and a relief from their cares.

We pray for the peacemakers of our world, for those who act to bring about reconciliation and the resolution of conflict, for those who focus on building up relationships and of breaking down barriers. 

Give them the strength in their endeavours and the encouragement to persevere.

  We pray for Your Church in this and every Land, those who confess their faith in your as Lord and Saviour, no matter what language they speak, no matter what hymns they sing, no matter how they worship.  Please sustain and guide them so that your people will not grow weary of doing what is right, of proclaiming your word of grace and mercy to all, and of confronting discrimination. 

May your church indeed be the bearer of your divine light to shine on all Nations to show the way to the deliverance from sin.

Make us loving towards our neighbours, eager to forgive and to heal. 

May we radiate your presence to those who we meet in the corridors of our residence here or in the aisles of the shopping centre.  May we show love and hospitality in all we do and say.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name,

your Kingdom come,

your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil,

For the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,

now and forever.  Amen